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The purpose of the study was to identify assistant principals' perceptions of their roles in school leadership, their experiences with student discipline in the public school setting pre- and post-COVID-19, and the professional learning they were provided to navigate the student discipline process. The basic qualitative study addressed two research questions: What were high school assistant principals' perceptions of leadership related to student discipline in public schools pre- and post-COVID pandemic? Furthermore, what professional development would support assistant principals with the student discipline process post-COVID-19? Using a standard interview protocol, the researcher interviewed eight high school assistant principals in one southeastern Virginia school division. The interview questions were organized into themes in response to the research questions based on the respondents' shared perceptions of their roles, student discipline experiences pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic, including professional development needs. This study revealed that assistant principals perceived changes in their leadership capacity due to declining student behavior, and the frequency of student discipline referrals "increased dramatically" post-COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas high school assistant principals prioritized instructional leadership before the pandemic, in the post-COVID-19 pandemic, negative student behavior caused school leaders to focus on processing school discipline over instructional leadership. This research found that student behaviors changed the educational landscape post-COVID-19, highlighting areas of concern for student well-being, such as physical aggression, substance abuse, lack of school attendance, and mental health concerns. The study also found that high school assistant principals reflected positive outcomes post-COVID-19 pandemic as they adjusted their professional practice as empathetic leaders fostering positive relationships with school stakeholders. Finally, the researcher sought to examine the high school assistant principals' experiences with professional development opportunities when learning the student discipline process. The study found that assistant principals wanted actionable, collaborative, and interactive learning opportunities, including authentic mentorships, hands-on learning experiences, and guidance to communicate with stakeholders during the student discipline process. Implications from this study include calling on the Department of Education, school divisions, and school principals to identify, plan, and support high school assistant principals as they navigate the role of school leaders post-COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand assistant principals’ (APs) leadership and perceptions of their roles. The study took place in a suburban school system located in the southeastern United States. The central research question asked, “How do assistant principals lead and perceive their role as APs?” The theory guiding this research was situational leadership theory as it demonstrated how leadership styles must be related to the needs of the constituents. Ambiguity and burnout were examined as factors that can impact APs’ leadership and their perceptions of leadership. The data for this case study were collected through interviews, focus groups, and documents. Data analysis was based upon coding and memoing to ascertain common patterns and themes that emerged during data analysis. The study reflected that a significant gap in AP research exists. The findings indicated that APs are essential leaders within schools. APs’ leadership is based upon the needs of the those whom they lead, and they build relationships to ascertain and support these needs. Additionally, APs benefit from working collaboratively with APs in small groups and with mentors.

School leaders live in a world of increased accountability, higher student and leadership standards, and increased expectations of student achievement. The leader is key in establishing the ethics and norms that govern the people in the school through their actions and words. Yet, moral and ethical leadership in schools have been given very little attention in scholarship and research. This qualitative study generated a grounded theory of ethical leadership in action used by early career school leaders. Sixteen narratives of everyday situations written by eight assistant principals in public schools were analyzed from three perspectives: 1) leadership practices, 2) principles used to resolve the challenges and situations, and 3) dilemmas embedded in the situations. Results showed that the assistant principals applied five moral concepts in resolving the situations and a single-loop theory-of-action. This study broadened the awareness and understanding of the assistant principals' a) application of the ethics standard in practice; b) their ethical decision-making as a critical leadership task of assistant principals; c) their complex role as leaders in the school; and d) their craft knowledge of school leadership through their own eyes and voices of early career leaders.